Is lens design legal?

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Computational Science

Background:

• Traditional optical design often relies on geometric optics, neglecting the wave nature of light.
• Diffraction effects are crucial in many optical systems, impacting performance and resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a geometric merit function that incorporates diffraction phenomena.
• To provide a more accurate and physically grounded approach to optical system evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Defining a novel geometric merit function.
• Integrating wave optics principles, specifically diffraction, into the merit function formulation.

Main Results:

• The proposed merit function effectively parallels diffraction behavior.
• Demonstration of improved optical system analysis by accounting for wave effects.

Conclusions:

• Ignoring the wave nature of light in optical design is suboptimal.
• The developed geometric merit function offers a rational and effective tool for optical engineers.